WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: Mike Kitchen never stopped chasing his dream

Former football star and 1999 alum Mike Kitchen still holds Lebanon High School's all-time record for rushing yardage.

Lebanon High alum Mike Kitchen, pictured as a Georgia Tech running back in 2000, parlayed his football skills into a bachelor s degree in sociology and associate s degree in business. (FILE PHOTO)

Sliced bread. Pants with pockets. Mike Kitchen.

Kitchen, a city native and athletic phenom, cooked up a lifetime of memories during his days circling the three rings at Lebanon High School. From 1996-99, the Cedars' superstar turned up the heat on the Lancaster-Lebanon League, becoming the school's all-time leading rusher in the process.

As a 5-foot-9, 220-pound tailback, Kitchen racked up 4,366 yards on the ground and was a threat to go the distance every time he touched the ball. Thirteen years later, he remains LHS's career yardage leader and ranks in the county's top three all-time ground gainers.

"I felt like it didn't matter if it was 95 yards or five yards," he said Sunday from his home in North Carolina. "Anytime you're a running back, you hope to score every carry."

Brute strength, blinding speed and unbridled vision - Kitchen came equipped with all the appliances necessary to excel on Sunday afternoons. At 31, he is also the subject of this month's Daily News feature, "Where Are They Now?" which runs the first Monday of the month and takes a look back at the lives of prominent local athletes and coaches.

Kitchen capped of his scholastic career by being selected as Pennsylvania's starting running back in the 1999 Big 33 Football Classic. He scored the contest's first touchdown in a 21-14 setback to Ohio, sharing Hersheypark Stadium's spotlight with future NFL'ers like Matt Schaub, Lee Evans, Bruce Perry, Rod Rutherford, Kris Wilson, Bryan Scott, Ben Hartsock and Matt Wilhelm.

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He also left college recruiters around the country drooling.

"It was mostly ACC schools and a couple from the Big East, as well," explained Kitchen. "I wanted to go to Florida State as a kid. It was actually reported by the Associated Press that they had offered me a scholarship, but it wasn't true. They didn't offer me one. I kind of ended up going to Georgia Tech by default."

He never found a niche while in Atlanta, appearing in two games for the Yellow Jackets before choosing to transfer.

Former Lebanon High School football coach Tom Jordan, right, congratulates Mike Kitchen after he finished as the Lancaster-Lebanon League's leading rusher in his senior season of 1998-99. (FILE PHOTO)

"Obviously hindsight is 20/20. You get five (NCAA) visits and I only took two. I should have taken more," said Kitchen. "For whatever reason, it felt like it was an enigma. I went in wanting psychology, but based on my (football) schedule, I wasn't able to do that. I was forced to do political science."

In addition, he also had to contend with an ankle injury, the possibility of a position change and Tech head coach George O'Leary's military-like approach.

"There's a lot of different things as an 18 year old kid being far away from home," he recalled. "We had certain rules at the facility, like hats couldn't be to the back or side or anything like that. ... It's not necessarily a reflection of who I am based on how my hat looks."

Kitchen quickly resurfaced in Scranton at Lackawanna Junior College, leading the Falcons to a No. 6 national ranking and 2001 bowl game in Idaho.

"I went there with the idea to go back to a D-1 school," he said. "As things turned out, the only thing on the table after graduation was James Madison. I didn't really want to go there; I could've gone there before I went to junior college. I felt it was a matter of pride. I was discouraged and not really into it."

He spent the next summer practicing and working out in Virginia, but chose not to enroll in classes at JMU so he could transfer before the season kicked off.

"They have a beautiful campus, but I just wasn't sold from a football standpoint," he said. "I was under the impression I could transfer to a D-2 school like Kutztown."

However, upon arriving at Kutztown, the Golden Bears coaching staff informed him that his summer workouts in Virginia might be a "sticking point" with the NCAA. Even though he never suited up for the Dukes, he was ruled ineligible to play for Kutztown.

"There's 10 NCAA exceptions, and none of them applied to my situation," Kitchen said. "There wasn't anything anybody could do; there was no way around it. It was pretty much play D-3 or stop playing. At that point, it didn't really matter which D-3 school I ended up that."

He eventually landed in Western Maryland at Frostburg State. As a big fish in a small pond, opposing defenses threw everything at Kitchen, sometimes even the sink.

Lebanon High s Mike Kitchen finished his scholastic career with 4,366 rushing yards and was named the starting running back for the 1999 Big 33 Football Classic. He is pictured above with his 6-year-old son Macello, aka "Mach", during a recent visit to New York City. (SUBMITTED)

"I didn't put up the numbers I anticipated. I thought I was going to go there and run for 400 yards every game. It didn't happen," he explained. "Everybody knew me and where I came from. They put nine guys in the box just to stop it essentially every game my junior and senior seasons."

Kitchen found various outlets to extend his NFL aspirations after earning a bachelor's degree in sociology from Frostburg.

"Even without the numbers, I was just trying to get an opportunity to work out for an (NFL) team. I was still hoping for that chance," he said.

The Philadelphia Eagles eventually gave Kitchen a personal workout, although it never materialized into a contract. He was also summoned to the Canadian Football League twice, but elected to pass on foreign pigskin.

In the meantime, he used his degree to become a tutor and teacher to children at Compass Academy in Mount Carmel. His main duties including laying down an educational foundation for youth learning to cope with anger issues.

"I was a personal development coach," he said. "I taught a course "Why Try," which was a behavioral approach and strategy to reduce truancy and help kids - mostly middle school and high school - who people gave up on."

He's never given up on his passion to run through or around would-be tacklers, either. In 2009, Kitchen again reappeared on the football field, albeit indoors, as a member of the Harrisburg Stampede.

"It's a totally different game (in arena football). There is no true running game," added Kitchen. "They said I was going to play, but once the season started, I was kind of like an insurance policy (to the incumbent starter). At 29, I was a little old, but I could play, at least give me the opportunity. You make like $200-$250 if you're playing, but if you're not, you're just kind of showing up.

"By next season, I was ready to call this whole football thing a wrap. I was about to be 30 and it was time to focus on other things; that's what I was going to do," he said.

But then the Reading Express reached out, offering him another roster spot on an arena team.

"There's not much wear and tear on these legs, I'm constantly working out and staying in shape" he said. "In practice, I looked just as sharp as when I graduated college. It wasn't a matter of talent or ability. It was a matter of numbers - they needed another lineman or tight end. For whatever reason, I never got the opportunity to play."

In June, Kitchen moved to North Carolina with his fiance and 6-year-old son Macello, aka "Mach." He currently resides in the town of Huntersville, located 12 mile north of Charlotte. Along with working as a full-time personal trainer, he's also found his way back on to the football field as a middle school coach.

Kitchen was inducted into the Lebanon High Athletic Hall of Fame in the Class of 2010 along with Doug Bartal (1971), Sue Kauffman (1976), Richard Newmaster (1970), Dan Sarik (1967) and Jack White (1932).

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